Bobcats By the Numbers: #97
5/29/2015 11:15:00 AM | Football
Defensive linemen of bygone eras did #97 proud
Every day we look at players who donned the jersey number corresponding to the number of days until the Bobcats open the 2015 season on September 3 against Fort Lewis College. The list of MSU football players by the jersey number is based on preseason rosters. The set of available rosters is complete from 1946-81 and '83-present. Only the 1926-27, 1934, 1937 and 1941 rosters are available in the pre-WWII years. Corrections, additions, or rosters that fill out the set will be welcomed enthusiastically via e-mail at: blamberty@msubobcats.com. Complaints about featured players also welcome, but possibly with less enthusiasm.
#97
Current #97 – Connor Thomas, DT: Connor Thomas played in 12 games at defensive tackle last year, logging 13 tackles, three-and-a-half behind the line of scrimmage. He enters his junior season battling Nate Bignell for starting honors at nose tackle. He has battled injuries throughout his Bobcat career, but the coaching staff lauds him for his locker for his academic performance and locker room presence. He was a three-sport standout at Flathead High in Kalispell, earning all-state honors in football and wrestling, and winning the Class AA shot put title in 2010.
Spotlight Player: Chris Kolone was a strong, physical defensive lineman who wore #97 for the Bobcats from 2005-08. While his career may have not produced the big numbers and awards his talent promised, Chris fought through a series of injuries and was highly productive when on the field. He finished his career with four tackles in the 2008 Cat-Griz game, and during his junior season he logged 24 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Nick Morasko is the most productive and accomplished Bobcat to wear #97 – in fact, he's the only Bobcat to earn All-America honors (Honorable Mention during his senior season in 2001) in that jersey number. His story is also compelling on a number of fronts. He started at defensive end almost immediately, joining the starting lineup at end as a true freshman. The next season, 1998, he started all 11 games, and in 1999 moved inside to tackle while retaining his productivity. He was one of just five seniors on the squad in 2000, Mike Kramer's first season as the Bobcats' head coach, but an injury in the third game forced him to the sideline for the remainder of the season. Bobcat fans remember 2000 for the team's 0-11 record, but less remembered is the extreme growth of the program during that campaign and the next. As a fifth-year senior, Morasko was instrumental in the Bobcats' return to defensive dominance, earning First Team All-Big Sky honors. Morasko also made a major and lasting contribution to Bobcat football upon signing with Cliff Hysell's team in the winter of 2007, joining the vanguard of an MSU in-state recruiting revival.
Notable #97s in the Bobcat Past: Only one Bobcat has earned All-America honors wearing #97 – Nick Morasko, in 2001. Morasko was among those who gutted out the transition from Cliff Hysell's coaching regime to Mike Kramer, and not coincidentally helped bridge the program's perennial status in the middle of the Big Sky standings to the team's rise to glory… Wade Rademacher was one of the final players to roll through pipeline from Minnesota maintained during Earle Solomonson's tenure as Bobcat head coach, and also one of the finest. He switched to #97 as a sophomore and became a player known for his pass rushing ability and a staple of the Bobcat defensive line for two seasons. Consistently lauded for his character, Rademacher has worked as a Treasure State law enforcement officer for many years.
Through the years: Gregg Wilks (1983), Terry Martinson (1984-85), Jared Wright (1986), Bryan Krumwiede (1987-90), Wade Rademacher (1991-93), Jon Bednarz (1994), Jarrod Beekley (1995), Justin Morris (1996), Nick Morasko (1997-2001), Ben Smith (2002), Nick Gilchrist (2003-04), Chris Kolone (2005-2008), Derek DeJong (2010), Zach Logan (2011), Connor Thomas (2013-)
#97
Current #97 – Connor Thomas, DT: Connor Thomas played in 12 games at defensive tackle last year, logging 13 tackles, three-and-a-half behind the line of scrimmage. He enters his junior season battling Nate Bignell for starting honors at nose tackle. He has battled injuries throughout his Bobcat career, but the coaching staff lauds him for his locker for his academic performance and locker room presence. He was a three-sport standout at Flathead High in Kalispell, earning all-state honors in football and wrestling, and winning the Class AA shot put title in 2010.
Spotlight Player: Chris Kolone was a strong, physical defensive lineman who wore #97 for the Bobcats from 2005-08. While his career may have not produced the big numbers and awards his talent promised, Chris fought through a series of injuries and was highly productive when on the field. He finished his career with four tackles in the 2008 Cat-Griz game, and during his junior season he logged 24 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Nick Morasko is the most productive and accomplished Bobcat to wear #97 – in fact, he's the only Bobcat to earn All-America honors (Honorable Mention during his senior season in 2001) in that jersey number. His story is also compelling on a number of fronts. He started at defensive end almost immediately, joining the starting lineup at end as a true freshman. The next season, 1998, he started all 11 games, and in 1999 moved inside to tackle while retaining his productivity. He was one of just five seniors on the squad in 2000, Mike Kramer's first season as the Bobcats' head coach, but an injury in the third game forced him to the sideline for the remainder of the season. Bobcat fans remember 2000 for the team's 0-11 record, but less remembered is the extreme growth of the program during that campaign and the next. As a fifth-year senior, Morasko was instrumental in the Bobcats' return to defensive dominance, earning First Team All-Big Sky honors. Morasko also made a major and lasting contribution to Bobcat football upon signing with Cliff Hysell's team in the winter of 2007, joining the vanguard of an MSU in-state recruiting revival.
Notable #97s in the Bobcat Past: Only one Bobcat has earned All-America honors wearing #97 – Nick Morasko, in 2001. Morasko was among those who gutted out the transition from Cliff Hysell's coaching regime to Mike Kramer, and not coincidentally helped bridge the program's perennial status in the middle of the Big Sky standings to the team's rise to glory… Wade Rademacher was one of the final players to roll through pipeline from Minnesota maintained during Earle Solomonson's tenure as Bobcat head coach, and also one of the finest. He switched to #97 as a sophomore and became a player known for his pass rushing ability and a staple of the Bobcat defensive line for two seasons. Consistently lauded for his character, Rademacher has worked as a Treasure State law enforcement officer for many years.
Through the years: Gregg Wilks (1983), Terry Martinson (1984-85), Jared Wright (1986), Bryan Krumwiede (1987-90), Wade Rademacher (1991-93), Jon Bednarz (1994), Jarrod Beekley (1995), Justin Morris (1996), Nick Morasko (1997-2001), Ben Smith (2002), Nick Gilchrist (2003-04), Chris Kolone (2005-2008), Derek DeJong (2010), Zach Logan (2011), Connor Thomas (2013-)
Players Mentioned
DE
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DT
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